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FABBY'S LIVING WISHES YOU MY FRIENDS A VERY HAPPY VALENTINE'S 2015.

Monday, March 3, 2014

FABBY: Spring Luncheon 2014

Hello sweet friends! I did this table to greet my daughter Sofia, her husband and my two grandgirls that were coming over for a long Carnival weekend. We were seven, with mother and the two of us.The menu consisted of Barley Soup with milk and cheese and it's wonderful and good for your health and a fav of the girls. The main course was a OvenTender Loin I make, a favorite of all; with a gourmet mash potato that has cream and mushrooms...really fine and elegant, lol.. A big lettuce and spinach salad with avocado. I have mentioned you that lunches are big in this part of the world and dinners very light. "The cake you see here is for dessert, paired with ice-cream; chocolate for the girls and vanilla for us, adults.The sponge cake is made out of 'Arrowroot flour' (Canna-edulis flour). You can look it up in the Internet."This cake was taught in "Colonial times by the Spanish Monks and they had to make it in those days with this ancient Inca food crops, it was one of the first plants to have been cooked as you would a potato, or used as a flour or thickening agent. This sponge kind of cake is amazingly delicious and very popular as it is a local recipe."The recipe comes from my dear Mil's family and from her own published cook book. I'm sharing it at the end of the post, if you would like. Very easy, but the Canna-edulis flour is the secret, though. Although, you could make it with potato-flour too, I did it once that way and it was fine too.

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I love blue for spring...light blue that is; therefore, I used it for the table linen here... along with my everyday dishes that come in different colors, even the salad plate which is not set here as I had them in the kitchen ready with a warm salad.

I love the blue in the tablecloth with the thin white lines going across all of it. I bought this lovely table topper several years ago on sale for just $12, plus 12 blue napkins!

Little bunny playing with flowers. Porcelain Capodimonti flower baskets and some made at our past ceramic company too.

Bunnies and birds to greet Spring.

Butterflies in the ceramic napkin rings that were made by us.

A green soup plate, next an orange one, than a blue one and finally there's a yellow one to bring together the orange dinner plates.

I'm joining the 'Spring Mega Linky Party' over at Ivonne from Stone Gable and some other wonderful hostesses as well.

The plate set with the orange dinner plate and the orange striped soup plate, bring the table setting together. The flatware set for 12 place settings, plus 12 steak knives, was bought in Bloomingdale's, Orlando on sale for just $60 bucks and they're Reed & Barton.

I bought two of each color of the soup bowls and salad plates noy shown here... so I placed the blue ones for the two men, the 2 orange for my DD and me, one green one for mother and the 2 yellow ones for the grandgirls...

The Ecuadorian specialty, taught by Spanish Monks couple of hundred years ago. The recipe bellow it's easy and delish, it's a sponge cake like no other!

I love this strip of what it seems like white tulips all around the four sides of the cloth.

I love this cake, specially mother!

The pic seems crooked but my table wasn't, lol!

Thank you so much lovely friends for your sweet and kind visits, as you always make my day!Thanking the generous and gracious hostesses for having me at their great parties! LOVE, FABBYANTIQUE RECIPE FOR ECUADORIAN SPONGE CAKE ( from my Mother in law's recipe book)10 egg yokes, and only 5 egg whites (preferably country eggs)6 ounces of Canna-edulis flour, or 'Arrowroot,' if not, potato sifted flour. NOT the all purpose one! 8 ounces of powder sugar , sifted1 1/2 tablespoon of lemon juice1 tablespoon of Spanish anise liquor, or anyone you have.Instructions:I place the 5 whites in the Kitchen Aid, or you can use any beater you prefer. Beat the 5 whites until soft peaks and start adding the egg yokes one at a time while beating and than slowly the sifted powder sugar. Meanwhile, pre-heat oven to 350F for 10 minutes; turn oven off and place the sifted potato or better, the Arrowroot flour in a peace of wax-paper and warm it up for 5 minutes, take it out and start slowly pouring it into the egg mixture while you have the beater running. Make sure it's thoroughly mixed so there are no lumps in the batter. Finally, add the lemon juice and the liquor and beat to mix well.Pre-heat oven to 250F.Grease and flour an 11inch, spring form pan. Pour the batter evenly and place inside oven and bake for 45 minutes, or check your oven. Stick in center of cake a toothpick to see if it's dry, but this sponge cake is very moist and yummy...really!

The Arrowroot plant, or Canna-edulis plant, where the flour is made for this sponge cake... by Indigenous people of Ecuador.

Dearest Fabby,Lovely photo and especially the one with that naughty bunny on top of your delicious but sinful high cholesterol cake due to that many egg yolks. If I could substitute that for cholesterol free egg it would be lovely.Indeed the flowers look very much like tulips around that tablecloth. You never fail to set a lovely and elegant table.Hugs to you,Mariette

Fabby- Your tables rival any I have ever seen. For one thing you have the different dishes to set for different occasions and second, you know how to pull things together. I bet your grandgirls had a wonderful time having dinner with you and your hubby and their great grandmother.

I am saving that recipe. My grandmother used arrowroot flour but I have never used it I will try this once they get my new ovens in.

I actually have potato flour, but not the anise liquor. I am going to try to bake your cake. Just to be sure do you really mean 250°F or is that a typo? That seems like a low temp or is it because it is a sponge?

Yummy cake and seem so easy. I haven't really used arrowroot before but its good for you. Beautiful table setting my friend. I like the bunnies they äre so cute and so playful. Hope you are having a good week.

No Spring here yet but it was fun to dream for it while going through your delicious setting.So lovely. After tomorrow I'll start dreaming and crafting for Easter and Blue has been on my mind for this year's festivities. So it was lovely to crave your table cloth...So glad they're there, being pampered and enjoying you and your thoughtfulness and love.Blessings all around,Teresa

Fabby everything is beautiful. I love your tablescape. I'm sure everyone enjoyed your luncheon, I know I would have, so warm and lovely. Thank you so much for sharing your blog and your lovely home with us at Wake Up Wednesday Linky Party today. It's always wonderful to have you party with us.Angel

Hello Fabby,What a delightful table setting! Your family must have loved it. The dessert looks amazing. I can't imagine how it tastes and would love to try : ) Thank you for sharing your MIL's recipe! I will give it a try.Hugs,Terri

Fabby, it all is wonderful! SUch a pretty blue tablecloth! Love your bunny too, I noticed the thrift stores are getting their Easter stuff on display yesterday, I may have to look more closely! Happy VTT

Fabby, you have a mighty lucky friend to be greeted by this pretty tablescape! Love the colors and the bunnies. And I can't believe you made those cute napkin rings! Wow! It is all so pretty. And barley soup? Yum!

Another lovely tablescape and what an interesting recipe. As I am not a fan of anise I wonder if something like peach snapps would work? The cake is really beautiful and sounds delicious with the lemon! Thank you for sharing at What We Accomplished Wednesdays. Have a lovely week! ~Deborah

Your table is beautiful as always. I am really intrigued by that recipe. I don't think I have ever made anything with arrowroot, but I have seen quite a few older recipes that call for it. When I was putting my book together several years ago (the one about my mother) in her recipe files I did find some that called for arrowroot as a thickener. After I read this post, I did some looking and was interested that the plant looks just like the canna lilies I used to have in my garden! I am going to look in Whole Foods -- I would bet they might have this, and give your cake a try.

What a beautiful table setting to welcome the spring! Your blue tablecloth is a lovely hue and it reminds me of the sky, with all the pretty pastel accessories and lovely flower arrangement, it looks very fresh and soft.

Once again, querida Fabby, I'd love to join you and your family. I hope you wouldn't mind my crashing a family gathering, but with the lovely setting and the lovely company, I'm sure it would be great to be there! :) I, too, love your tablecloth, and the cake looks absolutely delicious! I hope you enjoyed your gathering! Carinos, ~Zuni

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About Me

I'm retired... now, this gives me time for decorating and tablescaping which are my passion...I also love to entertain at home and cook for my guests, they're usually friends and family. I love family heirlooms, as they always have a beautiful story to tell. I'm crazy about dogs, I had a pug for 12 years who died April-2010, I still miss him very much, specially around the Christmas Holidays, but, I'm also crazy about my grandgirls, Victoria 7 and Cayetana 4,10 mths., they're my total joy! I love baking cookies with the girls and decorating them too, specially the Christmas ginger cookies. I adore my hubby for 37 years, we've been married since 1975 and he is the most wonderful, smart, lovable and handsome man, ever! I have two great, smart and beautiful daughters too, Alexandra and Sofia, who is the mother of the granddaughters. I'm very,very blessed by the Lord, I owe HIM all I have received, the home I love and my lovely and dear family. Bless you my wonderful friends and thank you for letting me know you and come into your lovely homes. God bless you and yours.
FABBY